A blanket of white snow covers the ground, red and green ribbons decorate display cases in department stores, and the smell of freshly cut pine fills our homes. But something is missing. You rush around in a hectic state buying presents and preparing your home for guests, but the season’s characteristic holiday cheer remains dormant. That is, until a familiar song catches your attention.

“Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, with faithful leaves unchanging,” drifts out of your car radio on the way to pick up the kids from school and you are suddenly hit by the sweet wave of nostalgia. The Christmas spirit awakens in your heart.

Christmas Carols Are a Classic Party Favor

Christmas music is primarily distinguished by the popularity of its carols. In fact, according to legend, the first carol was sung by angels appearing to the shepherds of Bethlehem. Christmas carols are timeless at any party and can add cheer to an already sparkling get-together. They are simple, have little pretense, contain plain lyrics, and remain ageless. In a situation where your guests might not be acquainted with one another, Christmas carols can create a commonality between people that cultivates an affable atmosphere. Furthermore, if you know a little about history, you can use the Christmas songs playing on your stereo as a tool to spark conversation at your parties.

Classic Christmas Carols and Facts That Surround Them

According to Ron Clancy’s Best Loved Christmas Carols, Christmas carols originally came from secular and pagan sources. The Greeks sang them in plays and Romans used them during their major Winter Solstice festival.

But it was the story of the Nativity that inspired the songs that make up Christmas’ countless treasure of classic songs and carols.

Some historians credit St. Francis of Assisi with introducing carols at the first manger scene of record in 1223 in Grecchio, a small Italian village. Building a living monument to the “Babe of Bethlehem” quickly became a popular practice as St. Francis encouraged his friars to celebrate Christ’s birth with this natural re-enactment. The celebration was a contrast to the rigid ceremonial religious rites performed inside of the church. Along with this development, carols flourished and over time became a standard feature in Christmas celebrations around the world.

Don’t Know the Words?

Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful)

This mini-masterpiece has also been referred to as “The Portuguese Hymn” because it was believed for a time to have been the first song by the famous choir of the Portuguese Chapel in London.

The First Nowell

Most often this popular Christmas carol is spelled “The First Noel,” however, this spelling is incorrect. “Nowell” was an English word dating back as far as the fourteenth century, when Geoffrey Chaucer used the term in his medieval masterpiece The Canterbury Tales.

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

This Christmas carol was written as a poem by Edmund H. Sears on a cold December day in 1849. It was published the same month in a church magazine and a year later, Richard Storrs Willis wrote the flowing melody that now accompanies the song.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

This song, one of America’s most beloved Christmas carols, was also written as a poem. In 1868, Reverend Phillips Brooks wrote the carol after making an emotionally moving trip to the holy land. The music was written by Brooks’ church organist, at the request of Brooks. The organist waited until the last minute to write the music, until he was inspired by a dream. He woke up the next morning, wrote down the melody and offered it to the children at the following morning’s mass.

Wassail Song

The word “wassail” is a salutation meaning “to drink to one’s health,” and the reply to this salutation would be “drink hail!” This traditional Christmas Carol originated in England. During the Christmas season, carolers traveled from house to house, bringing good wishes and carrying an empty bowl. The master of the house being wassailed was expected to fill the bowl with hot spicy ale. Children were treated with special care as they went from door to door, similar to American children at Halloween.

O Tannenbaum The earliest printed reference to decorating Christmas trees was a 1561 Alsatian ordinance that dictated how large an evergreen bush might be before it could be cut down. This German Christmas carol, sung about a Christmas tree, which represented loyalty and fresh life appreciated during winter’s darkest days. The original “O Tannenbaum” is believed to have had only one verse. Two additional verses were added by Ernest Gebhard Anschuntz in 1824 for his school children to sing.

We Three Kings

According to medieval legend, the Three Wise Men were named Melchoir, King of Arabia (gold); Gaspar, King of Tarsus (myrrh) and Balthasar, King of Ethiopia (frankincense). As a tradition in England, after receiving the first card of the season with the Three Kings on it, the head of the household tacks the card over the front entrance of the house. The custom origin is in Europe, where for centuries, on the day of Epiphany, parish churches blessed and distributed water and chalk for the blessing of homes. Water was used in remembrance of Baptism. The chalk was used to mark over the front door the initials of the Three Kings and the numerals of the New Year. The markings were intended to lead the Three Kings, should they return, to find where Christ would be.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

In the sixteenth century, these secular Christmas Carols were often composed anonymously, as this one was.

What Child Is This?This religious Christmas carol was originally written as a six-stanza poem titled The Manger Throne.

The Twelve Days of ChristmasThe Twelve Days of Christmas refers to the traditional twelve days that extend from Christmas Day to the Epiphany, or from December 25 to January 6 (the Twelfth Night) of the New Year. Traditionally, this song is meant to be sung during these twelve days, but in the United States it is generally not sung at all after Christmas Day. The symbols of the Twelve Days of Christmas are said to be represented as follows:

1 partridge in a pear tree: Jesus Christ

2 turtle doves: the Old and New Testament

3 French hens: faith, hope and charity

4 colly birds: the four Gospels

5 gold rings: the first five books of the Old Testament

6 geese a-laying: the six days of creation

7 swans a-swimming: the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit

8 maids a-milking: the eight Beatitudes

9 ladies dancing: nine fruits of the Holy Spirit

10 lords a-leaping: the Ten Commandments

11 pipers piping: the eleven faithful disciplines

12 drummers drumming: the twelve beliefs in the Apostles’ Creed

Integrating Carols Into Your Holiday GatheringChristmas carols are one of the easiest holiday pieces to add to your get-together. They require no baking, no decorating and have almost no prep time. With the help of the Internet, it is easy to find free Christmas Carols and Christmas song lyrics online. Websites such as HymnsAndCarolsofChristmas.com are devoted solely to compiling Christmas songs and lyrics and making them available to the general public. Just click, print and enjoy!

Do You Know Your Christmas Trivia?

Are you prepared when the holidays roll around or do you experience panic year after year during the hustle and bustle of the December days? Getting ready for festivities can put you in the mood to turn on music, pull out the decorations and be jolly, but how well do you really know your holiday triva? From trimming the tree and feasting to shopping, these holiday questions get you in the spirit with helpful hints not meant for Scrooge.